Though this is a long list of fraudulent activities, it is merely the tip of the iceberg when dealing with the various types of white collar crimes, which also include embezzlement, extortion, bribery, blackmail, and more. Last week saw three cases of fraud in Oklahoma making headlines: On Thursday, Lewis Colbert, an ex-businessman from Norman, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Colbert, of McSha Properties, was accused of creating false construction invoices in order to defraud the government out of tax credits. He pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, which inflated construction costs for low-income housing projects that qualified for tax credits. The scheme is estimated to have netted the company between 2.5 and 7 million dollars.

Colbert is scheduled for sentencing December 15. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Also on Thursday, the state's attorney general's office stated that two people were charged in separate incidents with worker's compensation fraud in Oklahoma. Raul Obed Orozco, 50, was charged with three counts of worker's compensation fraud.

The Perry man is alleged to have sought medical treatment for three separate fraudulent work injury claims in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Tulsa's Zeina Khatib, 49, has been charged with one count of worker's compensation fraud. She claims to have sustained injuries during a fall at work in March 2010. Khatib claims that she has been unable to work as a result of her numerous injuries, and in a deposition, said that she has not returned to work since her injuries were sustained in a workplace accident.

However, investigators allege that they have witnessed Khatib working. By misrepresenting expenses or the severity of one's injuries, one commits fraud. Fraud is almost always committed with the intent of financial gain; however, it is a criminal offense that could backfire in the long run, completely eliminating any gain and saddling the defendant with a lengthy jail sentence and a criminal record.

If you have been charged with fraud, if you are being investigated for fraud, or if you even suspect that you might be under suspicion of fraud, it is in your best interest to immediately cease the questionable activity and contact an experienced Oklahoma City white collar crime defense attorneys.

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